Obscura
by WhitleyMiranda
Summary: What happens to Adrien when Marinette gives up being guardian and loses all of her memories? What else? Adrien becomes akumatized. This one-shot is my entry in a challenge where I must write about a villain. I was given the name Obscura and this is what I came up with. Enjoy.


The Eiffel Tower had never looked so distant, so dark, as it did today. But looking at it now, all it brought was pain and sorrow for its many long lost hopes memories.

"Give it up Obscura!" The villain heard a familiar voice shouting from the building next to him, effectively ripping his attention from the afamed monument. "You're never going to win!"

Obscura turned towards the new Ladybug, a grimace sourly forming on his lips. "You can't beat me," he snarled, not even attempting to hide his disdain for this imposter. "I have way more experience then you and your felined partner combined."

"Experience in what, oldtimer?" Chat Noir's young, irritating voice chimed from the other direction. "Running around in tight, black leather? Just look at yourself! Even _I_ can do that better!"

Obscura clenched his fists, looking down at the Chatlike outfit he was currently wearing - minus the ears and the tail.

Fitting.

He supposed.

But this _new_ Chat Noir really _was_ full of himself. He had been a hero for how long? Six months? That was nothing. Nothing compared to fifteen years the last Ladybug and Chat Noir had fought together.

They had been the real heroes - the ones who had brought peace to Paris for over thirty years. They had been the ones to defeat Hawkmoth. And _they_ had been the ones to nearly lose their lives in that final battle.

Not these newcomers. No. They had only managed to take down a handful of akumatized villains without the other miraculous holders having to join them in their fights.

It was pathetic. This new generation of heroes was weak - so conceited. If only the guardian would have realized that in time…

"I have everything that you two don't have!" Obscura snapped, fiddling with the ring on his finger. "Now let me show you the power of a real professional."

He outstretched his hand towards Ladybug, a beam of light erupting from his ring, rapidly making its journey towards the heroine. "It's time for you to forget! Forget your partner! Forget your lover. Become a shell of who you once were! Just like my wife!"

But before the power could hit its intended target, Chat Noir was there, blocking the attack with a simple twirl of his baton.

"I never realized how annoying that was," Obscura growled, pulling his own baton out of his belt. Extending it, he propelled himself to the building where Ladybug and Chat Noir stood - their mouths wide open.

_I've still got it_. He thought, lifting his left hand for another attack. There would be no way these two amateurs could escape from such a close-ranged shot. Not even _he_ would have been able to dodge such an assault back when he had _his _miraculous.

"Forget!" He shouted, lashing out all of his pain, his anger, on the innocent teens in front of him. It didn't matter if they hadn't directly caused his wife's loss of memory. It was _their_ fault that she had felt like a failure and chosen to give up everything! They couldn't even protect _her _\- let alone the entire city.

Why did other people get to be happy when his wife wasn't allowed to remember? Did their years together mean nothing? What about all of their battles? Their sacrifices?

Everything.

_Everything _they had been through together was just gone as soon as she made that fateful decision.

And Obscura couldn't stand it! It wasn't fair! His lady didn't deserve this, and he would stop at nothing to set things right.

Even if that required allowing himself to be akumatized. Even if everything inside him was screaming, reminding him that this went against the accomplishments of his entire life. He _would _get those miraculous_. _And he _would _bring back the memories of his dear, precious wife.

It was Chat Noir who stood against him - _predictable _\- taking the brunt of Obscura's malicious strike.

But now he would be useless. Obscura grinned, watching the masked hero fall to the ground. It was Ladybug's turn next time.

"Chat!" The feeble girl yelped. "Are you alright?"

"He won't be able to remember you," Obscura hummed, walking towards the cheap imitation of a Ladybug. "It's kind of fitting, in an ironic, regrettable sort of way. Now there's a Ladybug _and _a Chat Noir who can't remember anything!"

"What are you talking about?" The brazen girl stood, winding her yo-yo. "My memory is just fine!"

"I wasn't talking about you!" The villain seethed through his teeth. "You're the saddest excuse for a Ladybug I've ever seen!"

"That may be." The young girl looked him directly in the eye - a sharpened gaze like piercing daggers, a resolve in them he was quick to recognize. "But I'm still good enough to take _you_ down!"

And with that, her yo-yo found it's way wrapped around Obscura's frozen body.

All it had taken was one look.

One look to remind him of the fierceness of his Lady.

And this young girl had it, Obscura could see that now, the will, the determination, to save all of Paris.

Maybe she hadn't possessed this quality before now, or maybe he had been too blinded by his prejudice to see something so clear. But his wife had been right. Regardless of how weak this girl may have been in the beginning, she _was _Ladybug, and the new Chat Noir was just as strong willed and stupidly self sacrificing as he had once had been.

No. There was no more point to this fight now. He slumped to his knees, his eyes never once straying from the heroine in front of him.

_"I'm doing this for us,"_ his wife's words rung his head. _"Ever since Monarch discovered my identity, we haven't been safe. We've been running for months now, Kitty. This needs to end."_

As Ladybug drew closer, Obscura knew what he had to do.

He had to let go of all the pain - all the anger and hatred that he had allowed to envelop his thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, a single tear slid from his eye. Monarch was fighting him, trying to regain her hold on his mind, but Obscura wouldn't allow it.

None of this was what his wife had wanted.

What _he _had wanted.

He must bring a quick end to this futile fight.

"The akuma is in my wedding ring," his voice shook. Then, knowing he had bested the villain trying to control him, he hurriedly commanded, "Destroy it now!"

With a grace and swiftness even Obscura had rarely seen, Ladybug removed his bonds, aiming for that cursed object, and breaking it in one, seamless strike.

As the magic around him faded, tears fell from his eyes. His heart ached, knowing he had idiotically succumbed to his emotions. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened.

How many people had he hurt? What had his power been? How could he, _he, _allow himself to be akumatized.

"Miraculous ladybug!" He heard a short distance in front of him, making his chest tighten at the familiarity of those words.

How long had it been since he had heard that phrase uttered right by his side? How many times had his girlfriend, his wife, said them with the exact same conviction?

Too many to count. He choked, slumping even further to the ground.

"Excuse me, Sir." The new Ladybug directed her attention towards him.

He tried to focus - tried to see the girl who had ultimately been strong enough to beat him. But the tears were too thick, pouring out and clouding his eyes.

"I'm sorry for what happened to your wife," she softly spoke, kneeling down and placing her hand on his shoulder. "You used to be Chat Noir, didn't you."

There was no question in her voice. To her, she was simply stating a fact.

He nodded, wondering what on earth he had said to give away his identity like that.

"And your wife…" her thumb grazed his cheek, wiping some of the wetness away, "she was Ladybug."

His heart leaped, hearing someone speak of her like that. Someone else knew. Someone besides him knew of his and his Lady's past.

"I'm sorry that I can't help you get her memories back," she whispered. "But if you love her half as much as what I have seen tonight, I just know everything will be alright."

And it was then, with those simple, yet pure words, that everything crumpled inside. He dropped, placing his head on Ladybug's shoulder as he continued to cry.

Of course she was right.

How had he been so blind? He had he been so caught up in his misery that he had forgotten the most important words his wife had said - the promise he had so easily neglected.

So stupid.

He had been so stupid to fall into despair as readily as that.

After letting everything out, he stood, a wave of determination nearly overwhelming him. He would _not _break his promise. Even as an old man, they still had so many years together.

"Thank you," he smiled, extending his hand to help Ladybug stand. "I have something I must do."

He nodded towards Chat, who had been awkwardly standing off to the side this entire time. "You wouldn't mind helping an old fellow get off a roof would you? I would do it myself," he grinned, "but I doubt the _purrfection_ of this old cat's ability to land."

"Sure thing," Chat chuckled, taking the old man by his waist and extending his baton. "It will be an honor."

The man, who was just minutes ago known as Obscura, simply smiled as he was launched into the Parisian skyline once again. And for the first time in longer than he would like to admit, his heart filled with hope, thinking back to those crucial words Marinette had said.

_"Adrien. You must make me fall in love with you again."_


End file.
